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Wayne Rooney to Join Derby in January

Martin Green

Tuesday, August 6, 2019 4:57 PM UTC

Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2019 4:57 PM UTC

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Rams are now priced at 5/1 (6.0) to secure promotion...

<div><div><div><div id=":qw"><div id=":qv"><div dir="ltr"><p>Former England captain Wayne Rooney will join Derby County as a player-coach in January after deciding to return to England to be closer to his family. The 33-year-old moved from Everton to DC United last year and he has been running rings around MLS defenders ever since. The Rams learned he was keen to come back to England and they moved quickly to see off competition for his signature. Once the 2019 MLS campaign ends, he will head to the Midlands to join Derby on an 18-month contract.</p><p>It is a significant coup for the Rams, who suffered a heart-breaking defeat to Aston Villa in the Championship playoff final earlier this year. Manager Frank Lampard then left to take the reins at Chelsea, and chairman Melvyn Morris brought in Dutch legend Phillip Cocu to replace him. Morris felt that Rooney could give Derby the added impetus they need to get them into the Premier League, and Rooney was sold on the project after meeting Cocu.</p><p>Rooney became Man Utd’s record goalscorer during a superb career that saw him win five Premier League titles and the Champions League. He also broke Gary Lineker’s England goalscoring record. His best days are clearly behind him, but he still has the ability to terrorise Championship defenders and he will give the Rams a massive boost when he joins in January. Derby beat Huddersfield 2-1 on the road in the first game of the season at the weekend, and they are priced at 5/1 (6.0) with <a href="https://a.oddsmarket.com/record/v?c=150&amp;a=bf7f64f4-cd67-4904-9b00-6ded1d41fd18&amp;f=1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="Bet365">Bet365</a> to secure promotion to the Premier League this season.</p></div></div></div></div></div></div>